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WKOW-TV
WKOW-TV (DT ch. 26 or virtual ch. 27) is an ABC affiliate in Madison, Wisconsin. The station is owned by Quincy Newspapers. It's transmitter is located in Madison. History Established on June 30, 1953; WKOW first signed on the air as the local CBS affiliate & the first TV station in Madison. Originally, the station tried to use K-O-W & cows as a way to promote the station, using a smiling bovine along with the station logo. When WISC-TV came on the air on June 24 1956, it took the CBS TV affiliate from WKOW. Then, WKOW took the ABC affiliate from WMTV & WKOW has remained with ABC ever since. In January 1958, WKOW-TV became an affiliate of the short-lived local Badger TV Network, a 3-station TV network in Wisconsin. The other 2 stations were WISN-TV (Milwaukee ch. 12) & WFRV-TV (Green Bay ch. 5). The Badger Network was launched in January 1958 & ceased operations on August 8 of that year. In 1974, Terry Shockley took over control of the Wisconsin TV Network, which has grown to include WAOW-TV - Wausau & WXOW-TV - La Crosse in addition to WKOW. Shockley later signed on WQOW-TV - Eau Claire as a satellite of WXOW. In 1986, Shockley sold the TV stations to Sharad Tak, whose Tak Communications would later purchase KITV in Honolulu, Hawaii & WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, New York. In the wake of the 1986 group deal, Shockley formed a new company, Shockley Communications Corporation, as a holding company for the radio stations which Shockley retained. Tak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1991 & later went into receivership. As part of Tak Communications' bankruptcy sale, Shockley repurchased the 4 Wisconsin stations in 1995. 2 years later, Shockley Communications launched WYOW - Eagle River as a satellite of WAOW. In June 2001, current owner Quincy Newspapers purchased most of the Shockley stations, including WKOW & it's Wisconsin sister stations. When the station first started broadcasting TV in the 1950s, WKOW's sister radio station WKOW-AM 1070 was already on the air. The original studios for both TV & radio were constructed on the Tokay Boulevard site, not long after the first WKOW station was constructed. When WKOW switched it's TV affiliation to ABC during the 1950s, WKOW-AM 1070 radio kept the CBS affiliation. In the 1970s, WKOW was sold away from radio, in accordance with the FCC's "one to market" policy of that era & WKOW-AM 1070 frequency became WTSO-AM 1070 & is now affiliated with FOX Sports. WTSO remained in the Tokay Boulevard building through the 1980s, later adding an FM sister station on 104.1 (now WZEE) which had previously been a stand-alone. Now, both WTSO & WZEE are a part of Clear Channel Communications & are unrelated to WKOW-TV in any way except for WKOW-TV providing weather forecasts for Clear Channel's Madison radio operations. On October 29 1998, WKOW became the smallest American TV station to start HD broadcasts with it's DT channel. DTV At 1 PM on February 17 2009, WKOW-TV discontinued analog broadcasting & moved full-time over-the-air broadcasts to it's DT channel, WKOW-DT ch. 26. Through the use of PSIP, DTV receivers continue to display WKOW-DT's virtual channels in the following manner: Current On-air Personalities Wake Up Wisconsin *Roland Beres, Anchor / Positively Wisconsin Reporter *Barbara Vaughan, Anchor *Brian Olson, Storm Track Meteorologist / AMS Seal of Approval / NWA Seal of Approval Weeknights *Greg Jeschke, Anchor (27 News @ 5, 6, 6:30 & 10) / It's Your Money Reporter *Diana Henry, Anchor (27 News @ 5, 6 & 10) / Someone You Should Know Reporter *Bob Lindmeier, Storm Track Chief Meteorologist (27 News @ 5, 6, 6:30 & 10) / Weather Central Vice President / AMS Seal of Approval *Jake Zimmermann, Sports Director (27 News @ 6, 6:30 & 10) Weekends *Carl Agnelly, Anchor (Sat 27 News @ 6 & 10; Sun 27 News @ 5:30 & 10) / Good to be Green Reporter *Kelly Curran, Storm Track Meteorologist (Sat 27 News @ 6 & 10; Sun 27 News @ 5:30 & 10) / Reporter *Brian Custar, Sports Anchor (Sat 27 News @ 6 & 10; Sun 27 News @ 5:30 & 10) / Sports Reporter Reporters *Tony Galli / Investigative Reporter *Kim Sveum / Parenting Project Reporter *Dan Cassuto / Consumer Reporter *Brian Rodriguez *Jeff Angileri *Bill Osmulski / Rock County Reporter *Matt Zahn (Sports Reporter) FOX 47 News @ 9 (airs on WMSN-TV; produced by WKOW) *Julie Lund, Anchor *Laurie Mercurio, Chief Meteorologist / AMS Seal of Approval *Matt Zahn, Sports Anchor *Jeff Angileri, Reporter Former On-air Personalities *Jay Wilson (former Sports Director; now @ WISC-TV in Madison, WI) *Christa Dubill (now @ KSHB-TV in Kansas City, MO) *Elizabeth Hopkins (now @ WPRI-TV in Providence, RI) *Mitch Weber (now @ WGBA in Green Bay, WI) *Mari-Ela David (now @ KHNL in Honolulu, HI) *Dave Sniadak (former Sports Anchor; now @ SportsTime Ohio) *Marc Lovicott (now @ WISC-TV in Madison, WI) *Sarah Carlson (now @ WMTV in Madison, WI) *Dan Presser (former morning Anchor; now part-owner Tweedee Media Inc, Madison) *Tom Skilling (Meteorologist; now @ WGN-TV in Chicago, IL) *Jeremy Nelson (Meteorologist; now @ KSHB-TV in Kansas City, MO) *Mike Nelson (Meteorologist; now @ KMGH-TV in Denver, CO) *Jeff Gillan (now @ KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, NV) *Wendy Warren (former Anchor; living in Madison area) *Rachel Kisko (former Anchor; living in Madison area) *Charles Benson (now @ WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, WI) *Monique Laven (now @ KIRO-TV in Seattle, WA) *Kai Reed (now @ WISN-TV in Milwaukee, WI) *Vanessa Shirley (Anchor/Reporter) *Amanda Wagner (Reporter) *Andy Dorn (Meteorologist) *Kit Kendeigh (Anchor) *Andy Kendeigh (Reporter) *Lauren Leamanczyk (Reporter) *Alan Shoemaker (Meteorologist) *Scott Klug (Anchor; later a US Congressman) *Steven Levitan (currently a TV writer/producer, known for such series as Just Shoot Me & Back to You) *Christine Lehman (News Reporter/Weather Forecaster) *Darren Lyn, News Reporter (now @ ESPN) *Beth Wagner (Anchor) *Joe Labarbera (Feature Reporter) *Paul Garcia (Sports Anchor/Reporter/Producer) External links *27 News' Website